Symptoms and Signs of Depression.

Depression alters the outlook of a person and changes the way the depressed individual looks at life and at other people. He develops a negative attitude and refuses to believe that any problem can be solved in a positive way.

The symptoms of depression are explained below along with signs but it should be noted here that not all depressed patients experience all the symptoms. The severity, frequency and duration of the symptoms vary from individual to individual and also depend on the type of depression.

The accompanying physical symptoms such as headache can often be misleading and the person or his/her relatives and friends do not think of depression as the cause.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression.

Psychological Symptoms.

Signs of depression are easy to diagnose if typical. But they vary and the person with these depression symptoms and his relatives often think that they are a passing phase and wait for them to pass.

The person may then sink deeper into depression and therefore it is necessary to know these signs and symptoms and identify them if present in you or someone you know so that timely help can be sought. The psychological symptoms of depression are explained below.

• Sadness and unhappiness. This is a symptom of depression that is almost always present.
• A feeling of hopelessness and helplessness and a strong belief of impending doom.
• Loss of interest in any matter including living life.
• Getting irritated over small matters.
• Irritability causing restlessness and inability to sit still. The person always keeps fidgeting or pacing.
• Reduced sex drive or erectile dysfunction.
• Lack of concentration leading to distraction and indecisiveness and inability to remember events or things.
• Low self esteem giving a feeling of self hate, unworthiness and guilt. Blaming self for problems. This is a another sign of depression that is typical of depression.
• Becomes withdrawn and isolated.
• Lack of interest in any activity including ones enjoyed earlier.
• Frequent thoughts of committing suicide and dying. The older adult men are more prone to suicide attempts.
• Crying at the smallest reason

Depression Hurts|Physical Symptoms of Depression.

Besides the behavioral symptoms and signs explained above, certain physical symptoms too manifest in the depressed person. That depression is a result of certain chemical imbalances in the brain is a fact.

Some of these chemicals are responsible for how you perceive pain. Therefore a patient of depression feels pain differently than other people. These are the symptoms which manifest physically due to stress.

• Headache or backache without apparent cause. An existing migraine or backache can become worse due to depression.
• Muscle and joint pains.
• Cramps
• Chest pain that may not show any cause on investigation
• Digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation. Depression does slow down your digestive activity.
• Lack of sleep or excessive sleep.
• Feeling of fatigue and tiredness. Physical activity is minimal.
• In some individuals, depression causes loss of appetite leading to weight loss, while in others it causes increased craving for food leading to weight gain.
• Lightheadedness or dizziness

Depression Symptoms in Children.

These include sadness, irritability and hopelessness. Depression is often accompanied by other mental disorders such as anxiety or hyperactivity disorder.

Depression Symptoms in Adolescents and Teens.

These include anger, irritability, anxiety and social isolation. Changes in sleep and thinking are more common amongst adolescents and adults.

Depression Symptoms in Older Adults.

These often go undiagnosed as the physical symptoms, such as obscure pains, loss of appetite and sleep, loss of sex drive  are considered as a result of ageing. Other symptoms include a desire to stay at home and isolate oneself from society. Suicidal tendencies are more common among older adults and they should be treated promptly as committing of suicides due to depression is more common among this age group.

Seeing the doctor.

Presence of such similar depression symptoms in you or your loved ones should immediately prompt an appointment with a counselor and if depression is diagnosed , treatment should be sought and taken sincerely till the time advised as necessary.

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